After coming up short in last year’s GHSA Class A Division II state championship game, the Lake Oconee Academy girls basketball team has taken this offseason to develop its weaknesses.
Lady Titans’ head coach Savannah Soles told the Lake Oconee News that they’ve utilized the summer to get all the girls playing time and familiarize themselves with the systems.
“We’ve hit it pretty hard in the month of June, and for the past three weeks, we’ve been putting in systems and getting to scrimmage other programs,” Soles said. “Every girl has also been getting playing minutes, with the younger girls getting some time as well. I’m liking what I’m seeing in terms of effort and attendance.”
Over the past couple of weeks, Soles’ squad has faced teams such as George Walton Academy, Briarwood and others in scrimmages in order to see where the Lady Titans stack up against other competition.
Aside from those, the girls’ program has also attended a basketball camp at Georgia College and State University, where they got to compete against teams such as Loganville Christian Academy and East Jackson.
While the team has gotten some good minutes on the court, Soles acknowledged that having so many multiple-sport athletes does make the offseason challenging.
“It’s definitely more difficult for us and these girls, and we understand that at this time of the year fall sports come first, so whether it’s volleyball or softball, if there’s a conflict in scheduling they’re going to the fall sports’ practice,” Soles said. “We try to work around everyone’s schedules, though, and when they do come to me, we’re doing a lot more skill-based work. And I’m not trying to kill them running up and down the court all practice.”
LOA graduated four seniors from last year’s team and lost most of its offensive production by losing Hannah Heinen, Jada Williams and Kensi Stevens. Only two of the starting five, guards Jane Monachello and Georgia Bosart, return for another season.
The Lady Titans averaged just over 58 points per game throughout the 31-game season, and Soles has used this time to try and find younger girls to attempt to fill the scoresheet in their absence.
“Ansleigh Padgett was a freshman for us last year, and she’s a kid that really wants to play at the next level one day. She’s kind of like my Jada this year, just in terms of wanting to get in the gym all the time, and she definitely puts in the work,” Soles said. “I think the senior girls that have gotten minutes from me will be instrumental in our success next year, and they’ve done a great job at getting some of the younger girls that didn’t play a lot last year more comfortable on the court.”
Looking ahead, the Lady Titans will use the next three weeks to fine-tune most of their systems and philosophies before heading into the season in November.